NARI

A few years ago, five M.Tech students of agricultural engineering from one of the top agricultural universities of Maharashtra came to our institute for a four-month internship. One day during their i...

In January this year the major agenda at the World Economic Forum in Davos was a discussion on the Fourth Industrial Revolution (FIR). It is already underway in some advanced economies, and there are fears that it will be very disruptive and create huge unemployment. The Davos meeting was meant to discuss and allay these fears. However, I feel that the Fourth Industrial Revolution for developing countries can in fact produce more employment and benefits. Here is how.

Pranayam means control of pran or vital force. According to the sage Patanjali it means controlled breathing which includes deep inhaling, exhaling and retention of breath. Pranayam occupies a central position in the Indian yogic system. Modern medical science has shown unequivocally that Pranayam benefits both the mind and body.

Mahatma Gandhi not only gave India its freedom but also gave the world and us a new perspective on nonviolence and sustainable living. His teachings and experiments are more valid today than ever before, especially when we are trying to find solutions to worldwide greed, corruption, violence and a consumerist lifestyle that is putting a very heavy burden on the world's resources.

My father, who went to jail for two-and-a-half years in 1942 for his role in the independence movement, told me that the greatest gift that Gandhiji gave to all Indians (besides independence) was to rid them of their fear of Englishmen. This removal of fear brought in a quantum jump in the mindset of Indians and made them aware that they could manage their own affairs with their own people.

I believe that presence or aura is a radiation of thought that a human being emits and is felt by everybody who encounters that person. A person's presence could either be evil, spiritual or simply pleasant and it is determined by the individual's thoughts, his/her mind.

Diesel is normally used in automobiles, tractors and trucks and is considered a dirty fuel since these vehicles emit smoke and particulates. It has a bad rap. However, recent work done by the Nimbkar Agricultural Research Institute (NARI), a rural NGO in Maharashtra, has shown that it can be an excellent and clean fuel for cooking and lighting in rural households when used in a newly invented device called the "Lanstove" (lantern plus stove).

I believe that the best way to provide adequate food for the rural poor is by setting up restaurants in villages on a large scale. These restaurants will be similar to regular ones but, for people below the poverty line (BPL), they will provide meals at subsidised rates.

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